PARIS (Reuters) - Crafty France Telecom workers have brought out a new weapon for mopping up the company's $70 billion pile of debt -- mops.

Union officials in the eastern region of Alsace have begun selling the mops at about a dollar each to help the phone giant tackle the world's largest debt run up by a single listed company.

The state-controlled firm went on a debt-fueled expansion spree during the Internet boom only to slip up when markets crashed.

The CGT union has sold 10 mops so far, so that leaves just 69,999,999,990 more to sell before France Telecom can wipe the slate clean, a union official told Liberation newspaper.